Hibs defender Paul Hanlon: The gaffer has brought confidence back to the squad, now we need to do same for fans

PAUL HANLON has praised Hibs boss, Alan Stubbs, for giving the squad confidence once again, now the defender says it's time to give the Edinburgh outfit's beleaguered fans something to cheer about once again.

PAUL HANLON says Alan Stubbs has restored confidence in the Hibs squad – now he reckons it’s time the players did the same for the fans.

While Stubbs’s positive approach in pre-season has done much to lift the squad from the misery of relegation the defender knows the wounds are still raw in the stands.

The suffering support were left nervous wrecks in a Premiership campaign that saw Hibs manage just four home wins and concede nine more goals than they scored.

So he appreciates the fans’ need to be nurtured in the same way the new boss has done in the dressing room.

And the only way to do that is to find the winning formula again on their home patch – starting today with Livingston’s visit for the opening game of their Championship campaign.

Hanlon said: “The manager has come in and really helped the players, building us back up and getting our confidence to where it should be.

“Now it up to us players to do that for the fans. They have been great in pre-season coming out to support us.

“So it’s another challenge for us to show them at home what we can do and get them back onside.

“I’m sure everyone in the stadium last season could sense it when things weren’t going well.

“So it’s up to us to make the fans happy. Going to Easter Road is something we are looking forward to now, we’re playing a style of football we’re all enjoying – and hopefully the fans will enjoy it as much as we do.”

There were certainly promising signs in the Petrofac Training Cup on Tuesday. Despite exiting the competition in a 2-1 defeat away to Rangers, Stubbs’s side played some good stuff and were desperately unlucky to have Danny Handling harshly sent off.

The hitman will be suspended from today’s league opener as a result as Hibs decided not to appeal. Had they taken the 20-year-old’s case to Hampden and lost the appeal he’d have been ruled out of next weekend’s derby clash away to Hearts.